"It’s going to be so much fun", Yerim announced cheerfully, soon as they entered the premises of bowling club. "Thankyou for bringing me along, Lay Oppa"

"No problem Yeri!", Yixing replied smiling.

"You better thank me first because I was the one who asked him to bring you along", Sehun commented cheekily at her. "Otherwise you'd still be at home, drowning in a flood of books!"

"As if”, Yerim responded flatly.

"You two better behave while we’re here", Soojung warned her sister and Sehun. Yerim lolled her tongue out at Sehun who lolled it right back at her.

"There they are, hi guys!", Yixing waved at the squad of his friends as they came into view.

Chanyeol waved back, followed by Jongdae and soon enough, Taeyeon caught sight of Baekhyun too. She sighed, preparing herself. She hadn’t to come but Sehun had insisted, because he wanted to be in her team. She had gone with him and Yixing last time too and played very well, so she agreed. Why should I stop myself from enjoying with my family, just because a certain person who I don't give a damn about will be there? she had thought to herself as she got ready to go, after dropping Seungwan off for her date.

………………………………………..

"Long time no see!", Minseok said as he took Yixing in for a man-hug. Yixing patted his back as he repeated the same. "That's because you’ve been busy", Yixing complained. And Minseok explained to him about how he had been busy trying to juggle his studies and job simultaneously.

“We have a new addition to our squad today, everyone this is Yeri, Krystal’s younger sister”, Yixing introduced and Yerim smiled at each of them. “And you people already know Taeyeon and Sehun”

Do we really? Baekhyun thought warily, looking at Taeyeon. They hadn’t really interacted much since that day he’d fallen on her and she’d yelled at him, but that did not mean his feelings about her had progressed. They were still glaringly familiar, judging from the annoyance rolling off Taeyeon’s demeanor when they met eyes.

"Hello Kai!", He turned to find that girl, Yerim, addressing Jongin. "What are you doing here?"

“Nothing just……playing”, Baekhyun saw Jongin’s eyes playfully trail to the girl behind Yerim, Soojung or Krystal who was talking to Yixing, as he answered the former. He did not miss how Sehun turned from where he was talking to Junmyeon and furrowed his brows at the trio. A smirk made its way to his lips as he worked out the rectangle of drama going on there.

"You guys know each other?", Soojung turned and asked, surprised.

"Yeah, he’s in my History and English class at school", Yerim replied and then looked back at Sehun. "Sehun's in the Dance Club with him, right Sehun?"

"Right", Sehun replied flatly from where he was standing and looked away.

"Hi, I am Kai", Jongin held out his hand to Soojung, smiling flirtatiously, introducing himself as Kyungsoo’s younger brother. Soojung took his hand, furrowing her brows uncertainly. Baekhyun could tell she was wondering why the guy was acting all…familiar with her when clearly they’d met for the first time. Jongin had clearly not forgotten the dance incident either.

"Where's D.O. by the way?", Yixing asked, looking around.

"He has a date", Chanyeol answered.

"Really? What a co-incidence, Wendy has a date today too", Yixing mused.

Baekhyun caught the knowing exchange of looks between Soojung and Taeyeon and frowned, wondering what was going on.

………………………………………………….

After they were done segregating into two groups, one led by Taeyeon and the other (naturally) by Baekhyun, they got to the part about deciding punishments for the losing team. After several suggestions involving collective, solo and one-to-one punishments, they agreed on writing on chits and each member of the losing team picking a chit and doing or getting done whatever was written on it.

Baekhyun was impressed when Taeyeon went first to bowl and her hit became a full strike right away. He hadn’t really expected her to be very good at playing.

He himself went next, and his hit was a full strike too. He smirked at Taeyeon as he came back to his seat, not bothering to wait for her reaction (which she never gave in the first place)

Sehun went next from Taeyeon’s team and was able to knock down a few pins. It was Baekhyun’s first time meeting Sehun, and he’d hit it off right away with the kid. He’d even invited Baekhyun for gaming to his house, and the latter had agreed. Gaming PUBG wasn’t an opportunity he’d ever give up on, even if it did involve something as unpleasant as the chance of encountering Taeyeon as she lived in the same house.  When Yerim went from his team, both her balls went down the gutter, with Sehun guffawing in the background and receiving glares from the rest of them.

"I'm sorry", Yerim said apologetically as she came back to their side, and Baekhyun felt bad that the girl was embarrassed. He scowled at Sehun from the side, who shrugged smugly in response. “Oh, don’t worry, Yeri, Sehun couldn’t even hold the ball properly the first few times he played”, He whispered it to her and they both laughed. Sehun frowned at him and Baekhyun shrugged back in response.

The first game finished with Baekhyun's team in the lead. And they rejoiced, high-fiving and showing off, Baekhyun making sure to make enough noise to have Taeyeon plugging her ears.

"There are still two more games to go", Taeyeon snapped as she passed by Baekhyun and his team, picking up her ball for service to start the next game.

"I smell something burning", Baekhyun jeered at Taeyeon, sniffing in her direction and his team members laughed, some of them quieting down immediately seeing Taeyeon glare back at them.

Soojung joined the next game as well and Jongin suddenly became more active. They all watched in amusement as he tried to teach Soojung, coming up behind her and guiding her how to hold the ball properly. They were all faintly amused, but as Baekhyun’s gaze lingered to Yerim and then Sehun, he realized some of them maybe weren’t.

He wished there was someone he could flirt with too. Soojung had been the only option, and Jongin had clearly marked his territory around her. And that left Taeyeon. He shivered at the thought. Maybe if she was the last woman on earth, I'd give it a try, he mused.

The second game turned out to be in Taeyeon's favor, thanks to Jongin's consecutive gutter balls. He was distracted and they all knew why.

"Focus Kai yah, will you?", Chanyeol seemed irritated. Baekhyun made a face at him too. Jongin just shrugged and said "Sorry", not looking the least bit apologetic.

………………………………………………………………………………………..

The last game started with Taeyeon sending two balls down the gutter, and Baekhyun laughed hard. She let out an exasperated sigh and glared at Baekhyun who pouted at her teasingly. "You're not going to cry are you?", he remarked at her as she passed by but she just ignored him.

The tables turned pretty quickly as Baekhyun's hits went down the gutter too, but Taeyeon didn't laugh, only sending him a condescending smirk as he turned back, rubbing his forehead sheepishly. They were tied up until the last service in which Minseok got two strikes but Jongdae was unable to score, resulting in Taeyeon's team winning.

Taeyeon cheered jauntily, as if she had won a national bowling match. Baekhyun gritted his teeth.

"Let's open the chits, shall we?", Yixing asked smirking, as he took hold of the cup that contained the chits and passed it to Junmyeon. Junmyeon picked out one and unfolded it.

"Hug and kiss a member of the winning team", he announced jauntily and went forth, almost jumping on Yixing, leading to laughter and howls of cringe-laden disapproval, especially as they saw Yixing get all flustered trying to get Junmyeon off himself. But Junmyeon still playfully managed to plant a kiss on his cheek, before Yixing pushed him away, making a disgusted face. The other guy just laughed.

Yerim picked a chit next and made an odd face. "Not in a million years!", she commented as she threw it away. Baekhyun picked it up.

"Kiss the maknae of the opposing team!", he read it out loud cheerfully, and then raised an eyebrow at Sehun, who was looking around clueless, the guy probably hadn't realized the predicament he was in.

Soojung let out a chuckle. "Do it Yeri, it's against the rules if you don't", She urged, and Yerim gave her an incredulous look. But the rest of them joined in supporting Soojung, and the younger girl looked cornered.

"What's the big deal? You guys are practically siblings!", Yixing commented, shrugging. Seungwan and Taeyeon gave him a look that he didn’t notice, and then smiled to each other shaking their heads. The guy was too oblivious for his own good.

"It's against the rules if you don't!", Chanyeol protested and Sehun scoffed at him, finally having gotten what was going on and that he was involved in it.

Yerim got up reluctantly, heaved an exasperated sigh, and walked towards Sehun, whose face turned a deep shade of crimson in anticipation. Chanyeol pushed him to stand up and he did, Yerim took quick steps and planted a peck on his cheek that turned even redder, before shuddering away, acting like she’d just done something cringe-worthy. She sat back in her place flushed and peeked at Jongin from beneath her eye lashes, which the guy didn’t register, and Taeyeon was the only one who saw the flicker of disappointment on her face, and look of longing that followed from Sehun.

The rest of them clapped and Baekhyun hooted, winking in Sehun's direction, which the later acknowledged with a small smile, his eyes darting between Yerim and Jongin almost sadly, with the latter too busy picking chit to register it.

"Ask a member of the winning team out on a date", Jongin raised his eyebrows and looked at Soojung, amidst whistles and hoots from his friends.

“Talk about being lucky", Baekhyun muttered out loud. Jongin smiled, not trying to hide his delight and walked towards Soojung, who scoffed seeing the smirk on his face, though Taeyeon could feel the nerves under the façade of indifference that her friend was feigning.

"So will you go out with me, Miss Krystal?", Jongin asked with a seductive smirk. Someone wolf-whistled and Soojung rolled her eyes. "In your dreams maybe", She replied casually, eliciting hoots from Jongin's team.

Jongin bent down closer to her face with a sultry look and inquired "You sure you won't regret it?". Taeyeon saw the blood rushing to Soojung's face at the proximity, before the girl re-composed herself and met the guy’s gaze calmly. Hardly anyone else would have noticed. Taeyeon’s gaze turned towards her left and she saw Baekhun raise an eyebrow, as if he’d discovered something interesting. She frowned, wondering what devious things were brewing in the jerk’s mind.

It was Soojung’s turn to fluster Jongin. “I’m sure, I won’t”, She responded with a serene smile, and Jongin swallowed, and leaned back still maintaining his smirk. "Your word", he cautioned her with a raise of his brows, and turned back.

Jongdae picked a chit next which asked him to do aegyo (act cute) and he over did it, causing all of them to cringe. Chanyeol even got up to smack his head lightly. Sehun and Baekhyun turned in their seats.

"You're too much Jongdae hyung!", Jongin commented, more embarrassed than Jongdae. And Jongdae just chuckled.

……………………………………………………………….

Baekhyun picked a chit last. "Have something written on your face with lipstick by a member of the winning team", Baekhyun read out loud and there were loud claps and chuckles. He sighed in disappointment.

"I'll do it", Taeyeon got up raising an amused brow, and held out her hand to Soojung for the darkest shade of lipstick the girl could find, before walking towards Baekhyun slowly, who simply sighed and looked up, resigning to his fate.

"Don't cry, okay?", Taeyeon snapped, before opening the lipstick she had in her hands. She held his face with one hand, and bent it lower. Baekhyun obliged, rolling his eyes. He couldn't go back on his own words.

As he looked up at Taeyeon, he felt his heart flutter. He blinked a few times, looking up at her as she wrote on his forehead, the sparkle in her eyes so familiar yet new at the same time. It felt like a million years ago when he last seen that kind of expression on her face. And he smiled, forgetting where he was or what was happening to him. He was so lost in admiring her facial features, her slender nose, her perfect milky skin, that he didn't even protest once as she colored his face in red.

"All done!", Taeyeon announced leaving Baekhyun's face, looking pleased with her work. Baekhyun snapped out of his reverie, and lowered his face to be seen by the others. There were loud cackles and claps, particularly from Chanyeol, who almost rolled on the floor laughing. Sehun laughed and clapped like a seal too.

"What?", Baekhyun was confused. He took out his mobile and checked himself in the front camera, his eyes widening in horror. There was 'LOSER' written on his forehead, and two large hearts drawn on both of his cheeks.

"Yahh!", Baekhyun protested loudly as he snapped his head to glower at Taeyeon, who just smirked back.

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A/N: So a comparatively light-hearted and longer chapter, hope you guys liked it. I tried to put the other ships into some perpective as well.

Brace yourself for the date that is coming in the next chapter ;)

Thanks so much for reading and subscribing. Please do comment about how you find the story so far.